“Think about what you’re eating and what people have been eating for thousands of years,” said Kimball, before picking up those salty processed snack foods and tossing them in the lunch bag. If there are unrecognizable words in the ingredient list, walk away, she advises. Same thing if you spot high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats or MSG.

She knows how short that list of acceptable foods can become, however.

“It’s hard to find a cracker with a healthy fat in it,” she said. “It can be really hard when you leave the house. It’s (eating) nuts, nuts, and more nuts.”

She fought back by creating her own versions of Power Bars and granola bars, her own yogurt, her own crackers and bread. A former teacher, she also knows a parent with a full-time job won’t be able to do a lot of this. But for families with one parent at home and a frugal budget, the recipes help.

The first time she made her own snack bars, “I couldn’t believe it was so easy,” she said.

She knows the power of the snack in a lunch sack.

“If kids open their lunch and see only two things, they feel like their mom shorted them,” she said.

She has also reviewed stainless steel and glass water bottles, reusable cloths that can wrap a lunch and roll out like a place mat, glass containers for fruit and yogurt and even reusable sandwich bags.

It’s hard to stay away from plastic, and while Gladware is No. 5 plastic, at least it doesn’t contain troublesome BPA, she noted. Because most families will use sandwich bags — even Kimball’s — she tries to trim the carbon footprint by reusing the sandwich bags.

“You try to be a good steward,” she said. “You feed your family the best, while being frugal and gentle on the earth.”